Keeping African Dwarf Frogs in the aquarium

The African Dwarf Frog is an aquatic species and cannot survive on land. Two to three inches in length, these dark-green colored frogs prefer small stoned smooth gravel. Hiding spaces provided by plants, rocks, or driftwood are essential.

A well-maintained fish tank with community fish, a stable environment, and a gentle current will provide them with near perfect living conditions. The aquarium should be no smaller then 10 gallons.

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Fresh veggies and regular fish food rich in protein are excellent food choices. Frogs are carnivores and their diet should be occasionally supplemented with “meats”. Frogs frequently shed, but often will eat the protein rich remnants.

Although these frogs have no gills and swim to the surface to breathe, they cannot survive outside the water for more than 15 minutes, as they will dry out. Frogs should never be handled.

African Dwarf Frogs are very active swimmers. A fun behavior to watch is “burbling”, in which frogs can be observed standing on one leg while spreading the rest out and letting them “dance” in the current.

Breeding is theoretically possible, but the eggs are very sensitive even to minor changes in water quality. Further, tadpoles end up mostly as snacks in a community fish tank.

The Claw Frog is quite similar to the Dwarf Frog but grows larger (about fist size). The eyes are on the top of the head instead of the side, only their back feet are webbed instead of all four, and the nose is curved compared to the pointy nose of the Dwarf Frog.